The present invention relates to a gripping attachment for a golf club and more particularly to a gripping attachment adapted to absorb energy from the lower hand during a golf swing.
In the prior art, there are various gripping attachments to be used with golf clubs. One example is a swivel grip made of a plastic material as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,198. This swivel grip is adapted to be used by the lower hand on the grip to reduce hooking and slicing.
Another prior art golf club gripping device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,690,312. This patent shows a deformable grip made of celluloid or similar material which is designed to maintain the fingers of the lower hand in the proper position to improve the golf club swing.
Another prior art device is that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,647 which is a golf club grip formed of a tubular sleeve of circular cross-section with the grip being formed in an elongated, truncated conical shape whose larger base is at the sleeve end closest to the club head and whose smaller base is adjacent the free end of the shank, so that the outer surface of the grip is gradually tapered along a straight line taper with the grip smaller diameter end terminating in an integral, enlarged diameter knob-like portion. Basically, the grip of this patent is similar to a baseball bat with the upper hand at a narrower portion of the handle and the lower hand at a larger diameter portion of the handle. Again as before, the objective of the grip is to improve the golf swing.
Another prior art golf club grip is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,130. The patent shows a split sleeve gripping aid for teaching the proper swing and to avoid the golfer gripping the club to tightly with the lower hand. The sleeve has a longitudinal slit to permit easy installation and removal from the golf club. The sleeve of the patent is not a permanent attachment to the golf club, but is merely used as a training aid. The sleeve fits loosely on the club handle and is held in proper orientation by the thumb of the upper hand.